Warriors general manager Larry Riley spent a significant portion of an hourlong, wide-ranging interview Monday that was supposed to be about the draft instead discussing the trade status of guard Monta Ellis.

Riley said it is highly unlikely that Ellis will be traded during Thursday's draft or this summer, but he didn't rule out a trade-deadline deal in February. Riley called some reports about a possible Ellis trade "fabrication" and an "insult" to other teams, and then he turned around and intimated that Ellis should net a center like Dwight Howard - the very report that drew Riley's disdain.

This is what happens when you don't know which side you are supposed to support. Riley, a highly open and honest guy, is stuck between drastically different organizational philosophies.

The group that has been in Oakland thinks Ellis must go. The group coming in wants to see firsthand if the backcourt of Ellis and Stephen Curry can learn to defend better.

The organizational shift seems to have happened when Lacob hired Jackson. The Warriors had included Ellis' representative in exploring trade options. Then, Jackson said Ellis was one of the league's top three shooting guards.

All of a sudden, the sentiment about Ellis changed within the franchise.

"Nobody is saying, 'What will it take to get Monta Ellis?' " Riley said. "There have been mild inquiries where people would try to steal him, because they think his name is out there."